Twenty-five years ago, on July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 101 Pub. L. No. 336, 104 Stat. 327. The ADA is one of America’s most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation and its impact on American society has been undeniable. It prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and guarantees them the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life—to enjoy employment opportunities, to purchase goods and services, and to participate in State and local government programs and services. The ADA is an “equal opportunity” law for people with disabilities.

Want to know more? Visit ADA.gov, the official government website from the United State Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. And of course, the Library has a very comprehensive collection of materials for your review. Getting started is as easy as doing a title search in the Library catalog: Americans with Disabilities Act.

Did you know the Library has a selection of study aids that some students find helpful in preparing for final exams? These materials are designed to supplement – not replace – your own outlines and class notes and readings. To find general information on major study aids along with specific information on study aids for various subjects, check out the Library’s “Study Guides” Research Guide, which can be found by selecting the Research Guides link on the left side of the Library homepage.

Also, shelved separately in the Reserve area, we have a collection of titles from Gilberts, Black Letter, Emanuel and more!

The former director of the ABA’s Legal Technology Resource Center recently published an e-book, Law Practice Technology: An Introduction for Law Students, that introduces law students to current law office technology. Targeting law students interested in starting their own practice, the e-book covers cloud computing, calendaring, security, training, document management, speech input to create documents, intake and conflicts checking, and technology to assist with discovery. It’s short enough to read or browse quickly and it links to additional internet resources. We recommend checking it out!

With final exams approaching, the Mendik Library has begun its Study Hall schedule. Our facility – including reading rooms, Group Study rooms, and computer labs – opens at 7 a.m. every morning, and remains open until 2 a.m. every day through the end of the exams period.

The Circulation Desk and the Reserve Collection are closed during non-business hours – late nights and early mornings. All Circulation transactions, including borrowing and return of books, as well as charge-out and charge-in of Reserve Collection items, must be completed during Business Hours.

Late night and early morning hours are for finals study by NYLS students only. Security guards patrol the Library space. Policies regarding food, drink and quiet study remain in effect.

During Study Hall we strive to maintain an atmosphere of quiet, free of distraction. We welcome your cooperation.

April 22 marks Earth Day’s 45th anniversary with the theme of “It’s our turn to lead.” Did you know that the original symbol of Earth Day was created by artist and cartoonist Ron Cobb in 1969? According to legend, it was created as a combination of the letters e and o, from the words environment and organism. (If you’re curious for a visual, check out Ed’s overalls when you ride the elevator.)

There are plenty of ways to observe Earth Day – volunteer, plant trees, organize a community garden, or simply change a habit. One other suggestion – drink your coffee, tea, or other beverage from a NYLS reusable mug. You’ll help to reduce the volume of plastic, Styrofoam, and paper cups piling up in landfills or requiring energy for recycling. At the same time, you’ll be complying with the Library’s food and drink policy and earning our thanks! If you don’t have a spill-proof mug, pick one up at the Circulation Desk for $5.00. For every one purchased through the end of this semester’s exam period librarians will contribute $1.00 to Earth Day Network (www.earthday.org/), which works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement.

It’s that time of year again! Are you looking for tax forms? You can find federal forms on the IRS website here, as well as free filing options, tax preparation help, and IRS publications and instructions. Remember: the deadline to file your return is April 15, but you can still apply for an automatic extension of time. For taxpayers whose income falls below $60,000, the IRS also provides tax preparation software to help you file your taxes for free.

If you are looking for New York forms, you can find them here. If you need forms from other states, there are links to all state tax forms from the Federation of Tax Administrators, with all links updated for the 2014 filing season. The Journal of Accountancy has also published a filing season quick guide for the 2014 tax year. Taxhelp.org provides additional information relating to Tax Help for Students.

Curious to know what the first Form 1040 looked like in 1913? Click here to find out!

Course registration for 2015-2016 has begun. It’s time to put together your schedule for the next academic year. The ability to find the legal material you need to interpret and analyze is critical. Effective research skills are vital to all students engaged in any type of legal writing, as well as to those who are clerking, participating in internships, and entering legal practice. We hope you will consider taking a research class or two during law school. NYLS offers upper division research skills courses designed to give students the opportunity to enhance their skills and become more efficient and confident researchers. Each semester a 3-credit course and two 1-credit classes are offered. The Foreign & International research class is a 2-credit course.

Our schedule for 2015 -2016 includes:
LEGAL RESEARCH: PRACTICAL SKILLS (1credit, Fall ‘15 and Spring ‘16. This 1-credit course reviews and builds on the research skills introduced in the first year to help students refine their skills and learn shortcuts. It is taught on four Saturdays during each semester.)
LEGAL RESEARCH: SKILLS FOR THE DIGITAL WORLD (3 credits, Fall ‘15 and Spring ‘16. This 3-credit course reviews and builds on fundamental research skills as well as introducing more advanced techniques. Students have more time to concentrate on understanding various research sources and practicing their skills.)
LEGAL RESEARCH: PRACTICAL SKILLS: Foreign & International (2 credits, Fall ‘15. This course is an introduction to the major sources and research techniques used in Foreign & International Law research.)
LEGAL RESEARCH: PRACTICAL SKILLS: Intellectual Property (1 credit, Spring ‘16. This 1-credit class reviews and builds on fundamental research skills using sources that focus on Intellectual Property Law.)​

Student access to Bloomberg Law, Lexis Advance and Westlaw is governed by our academic subscription plans. Under these plans, your passwords to these services may be deactivated or limited in use beginning June 1, 2015.

FOR CONTINUING STUDENTS:

Bloomberg Law and Lexis Advance offer students unlimited access over the summer, for any purpose.

Westlaw access is limited to 40 hours during the months of June and July, unless you are using it for academic pursuits (e.g. summer school, internships, research fellowships). To get unlimited academic use during the summer, you must apply for an extension on Westlaw’s website.

FOR GRADUATING STUDENTS: All of these services offer extensions of up to 6 months to help you prepare for the bar, conduct your job search, or become a more proficient searcher. But you must apply for these extensions, using the services’ websites.

Check out this new comprehensive guide that analyzes same-sex relationship laws around the world. Created by the global law firm Jones Day, it outlines the law of same-sex relationships in all U.N. recognized countries as well as each U.S. state. For each jurisdiction, the guide provides the status of legal recognition along with additional insights. For example, it discusses whether marriage or some other status is available and whether foreign same-sex marriages are recognized. It also provides information about the dissolution of same-sex relationships. Jones Day intends to maintain and update the site as new court decisions and statutes emerge.